Page 15 of Ghosted Cowboy
Total darkness swallowed us whole.
Rain hammered the roof, swelled the old doors. I heard them slamming shut one by one—the ancient wood warping in thehumidity, the building sealing itself against the storm. We were trapped.
"Ransom?" Rainey's voice came out small, frightened.
The emergency lighting kicked on—dim, bluish, barely enough to see her face. She looked terrified, her eyes wide, hands shaking.
I pulled her against me without thinking. She came willingly, pressing into my chest, her heart hammering against mine like a wild thing.
"It's okay," I murmured into her hair. "Just a storm. We're safe in here."
"I hate tornadoes." Her voice was muffled against my shirt. "Ever since my parents—"
She didn't finish. Didn't need to. Everyone in Midnight Springs knew how David and Anna Bell had died twenty years ago. Car accident during a tornado warning, trying to get home to their little girl.
"Hey." I cupped her face in both hands, tilting it up toward me. "Look at me."
Those wide eyes met mine, shimmering with unshed tears.
"I need to tell you something," I said. "The truth. The whole truth about why I left. Will you let me?"
She trembled but nodded.
The words I'd been holding back finally broke free. "Aiden got mixed up with some bad people. Drug dealers with cartel connections. He started dealing to pay off gambling debts, thought he could handle it, thought he could get out clean. Before he knew it, he was in deep. Death threats. People watching our house, following Mom to church, making sure we knew they could get to us anytime they wanted."
Rainey's breath hitched.
"They gave him twenty-four hours to pay back what he owed," I continued, my thumb brushing across her cheekbone."Fifty thousand dollars or they'd kill him. Make an example out of him. I used every connection I had, called in every favor from every person I'd ever helped on the circuit. Got him into witness protection. Six months with zero contact allowed. No phone calls, no letters, nothing. And he made me swear—made me promise on our father's life—not to tell anyone back home how bad things had gotten. Didn't want Mom and Dad living in fear. Didn't want the shame of everyone knowing."
"Oh God." She pressed closer. "Ransom—"
"After those six months ended, I joined the rodeo circuit full-time. Sent money home for ranch bills, Dad's medical expenses. Kept meaning to call you, to explain." My voice cracked. "But weeks turned into months, and months turned into years, and I was afraid. Afraid I'd already lost you. Afraid explaining wouldn't matter anymore, wouldn't change anything."
Thunder crashed outside, rattling the windows in their frames.
"Truth is, I was a coward," I said. "Easier to tell myself you'd moved on than to face the possibility you might not want me anymore."
Tears spilled down her cheeks. I caught them with my thumbs, my own eyes burning.
"Aiden showed up at the ranch this afternoon," I said. "Told me he's coming clean with our parents. That he's been sober for eighteen months, went through rehab, found faith, got his life turned around. He wants his story to inspire others—to show it's never too late to change. He released me from keeping his secret." I swallowed hard. "And the first thing I had to do—the only thing that mattered—was tell you."
For a long moment, she just looked at me, tears streaming down her face. Then she pressed her palm flat against my chest, right over my racing heart.
"You were faced with an impossible choice," she said, her voice thick. "Of course you had to save Aiden. He's your brother. He's so lucky to have someone who loves him that much." A broken laugh escaped her. "I was so determined to hate you. Convinced myself there must've been someone else—maybe Brooke? Maybe some buckle bunny on the circuit? It was easier to imagine you'd chosen someone over me than to think you just... disappeared."
"No. God, no." I caught her hand, pressed it harder against my chest so she could feel my heart pounding. "There's only ever been one woman I've loved. One woman who's owned my heart. And she's standing right here in my arms."
Her breath shuddered out. "Ransom—"
"Tell me there's still a chance," I said. "Tell me it's not too late. Tell me we can start over, because I can't—I can't lose you again."
Tears dripped down her cheeks, but she was smiling. Actually smiling through the tears. "Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes, you impossible man." She rose on her toes, her fingers curling into my shirt, fisting in the fabric. "Yes, there's a chance. Yes, we can start over. Yes, I love you. I've loved you this whole time, even when I hated you, even when I tried so hard not to. I love you now more than ever."
I captured her mouth with mine, kissing her like I'd been starving for the taste of her.
